


all the lights

by fruectose



Series: from the corners of my brain [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24915175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fruectose/pseuds/fruectose
Summary: Percy sneaks into Annabeth's cabin in the middle of the night
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Series: from the corners of my brain [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1826065
Comments: 9
Kudos: 122





	all the lights

“Hey, Annabeth. Wake up.”

Annabeth could recognize that voice- and the smell of the sea that accompanied it- if she were in a coma. She kept her eyes stubbornly shut and fought off the fond smile that bloomed in her chest and threatened to travel up to her lips. It’s not that Annabeth wasn’t happy that her best friend had snuck into her cabin, filled with ten of her sleeping half-siblings, just to wake her up in the middle of the night. It’s just that she would much rather be asleep.

“I know you’re not actually asleep.”

Annabeth groaned and turned over onto her side trying to block out the voice. She hadn’t got much rest that night, or the last few, really- she was a light sleeper and their newest sister, Maude, was a sleep-talker. They made an excellent duo; Annabeth hadn’t slept in days. She felt the bed dip beside her and squeezed her eyes tightly shut as Percy leaned over her. Delicately, as if he was scared that one wrong move would break her, he reached over and wrapped his long, slim fingers around her wrist. He shook her gently and she was certain he was holding his breath as he did.

“Come _on_.” He whined, sounding like a child. “I packed us a picnic.”

“I never thought I’d win the Nobel Prize.” Maude said from her bed.

“Sandwiches, chips, Coke and… some Sally Jackson-Blofis cookies for dessert.” Percy coaxed.

“I hate you.” Annabeth grumbled into her pillow. She wasn’t sure if it was directed at Maude and her quest for a Nobel Prize or the smug, knowing smile she knew Percy was giving her. As if she were one to turn down Sally’s cookies. She pushed him lightly off her bed and groped around in the dark until she grabbed the old sweatshirt she’d left on her headboard. She slipped her hand into Percy’s and let him lead them out.

Percy and Annabeth crept around the cabins, through the sword-fighting arena, past the lava wall and straight to the docks. The further they got from Camp, the fewer lights they had to help them. By the time they got to the pier, they were going purely on memory and the dim moonlight.

“Why’d you wake me up?” Annabeth asked as Percy set down his little basket and sat down on the edge of the dock. He dangled his legs off the edge, just above where the waves crashed softly against the stands. Annabeth joined him and accepted the Coke can he broke out of the six-pack seal.

“It’s a nice night.” Percy said simply. He took a sip of his own pop and stared out into the darkness ahead of them. If Annabeth squinted, she could see bioluminescence at the surface of the water, making it sparkle like the night sky above them. A cool, mellow breeze blew in her hair. She looked over her shoulder, where Camp Half-Blood was still lit up sparingly for the harpies. Everyone was asleep, and, for the first time in a long time, _safe_.

“Yeah.” She said. “It is.”

“I thought it would be nice.” Percy said. He cleared his throat and looked pointedly down at the flip flops on his feet. “To spend it with you.”

Annabeth was grateful for the night, because she was pretty sure she was bright red. Percy had that effect on her a lot. He’d say things like that- kind, thoughtful, sentimental things like, _I wanted to spend a nice night with you,_ \- and then never explain what he meant. For some time, she’d thought, _hoped_ \- that maybe he might feel about her what she feels for him.

Of course, that theory went down the drain when, after the war, he didn’t make a move. He didn’t say anything, really- and Annabeth had to face the very real possibility that she’d read into the longing looks he’d given her, the shy glances he’d stolen and the not-so-subtle blushes he tried to hide when he was around her. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but the war had been over for an entire week and she’d got zilch. A shiver ran down her spine and she pulled her dad’s Harvard sweatshirt over her head. Percy noticed. He tended to notice things about her a lot. He watched her intently, and she refused to meet his eye.

Without another word, he tossed her a bag of chips. Salt and vinegar, her favourite. She looked at him with a frown.

“You bought us salt and vinegar?” She asked. Percy shrugged, and his grin was devilish.

“Compromise, see? You get to eat your piss-flavoured chips.” He told her, carefully extracting another bag. “I’ve got all the sour cream and onion I could want. Right here.” He patted the bag before ripping it open and stuffing a handful in his mouth. He leaned over and crunched loudly, making sure that Annabeth heard every tiny bite.

“You’re disgusting!” She complained. Laughter bubbled in her stomach and Percy leaned his head back, trying to chew a fistful of Lay’s and dropping them all around him.

“You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t like it.” He said with a goofy smile and Annabeth felt a tingle down her spine and right to her toes. He wasn’t wrong. She took popped a chip into her mouth.

“Oh, man. Annabeth. Look.” Percy said. He pointed up at the sky and Annabeth followed his finger.

She hadn’t realized just how many stars were out that night.

When she was seven and on the run with Thalia and Luke, she’d get nightmares quite often. On particularly difficult nights, Luke would let her stay up with him and teach her all the astronomy he’d learned. It started with simple things- the North star and the Big Dipper, Orion, Sirius, Leo… and they’d slowly learned the rest of them together. Even after they got to Camp, Luke would sometimes stargaze with her. The memory of her fallen friend filled her with a bittersweet ache in her chest. She let herself believe that this was him sending her a sign- telling her she’d be alright.

“I spotted Perseus.” Percy told her. The constellation shone directly above their heads, as if the original Perseus himself was smiling down at them. “Right next to Andromeda, and look- there’s Cassiopeia.”

“You listened.” Annabeth was embarrassed by how tender and raw her voice sounded. Her throat closed up with emotion. Percy looked at her and blinked.

“Of course. This stuff is awesome.”

“You said astronomy was for nerds.” Annabeth told him. Her bottom lip quivered. She couldn’t believe that after all these years, Percy had been _listening_.

“It is.” Percy agreed. “But you’re like, my favourite nerd. And if I’m being completely truthful… I think you’ve kind of made me a nerd, too.”

Annabeth didn’t trust herself to respond. She took a sip of her soda and set down the can. Percy didn’t think much of it, and went back to pointing out the billions of twinkling lights above them. He knew them all. Pegasus, Aries, Pisces. With every constellation he identified, Annabeth’s heart grew a little heavier. She didn’t think she’d ever felt this way before.

Luke, for all his astronomical interest and enthusiasm, never really listened when Annabeth had something to say. Gods knew her mortal family didn’t pay her enough attention. Her mother was the all-knowing goddess of wisdom who didn’t care to entertain a child’s ramblings about stars and the night sky. She could tell that even Chiron only ever humored her out of pity. Nobody ever took her seriously, except, apparently, Percy.

Percy had listened. Percy had _cared_.

Annabeth choked back a sob. It was stupid to cry about things like that. Besides, who knew what Percy’s motivations were? Nobody understood what went on in his mind. Maybe he just learned it so he could impress Rachel Elizabeth Dare, or someone else. It was so _stupid_ for Annabeth to get emotional over it.

“Are you crying?” Percy asked suddenly. He must have realized she’d been quiet for a little too long. He looked over her, placing his hand on top of hers without thinking. Annabeth sniffled.

“There’s so many stars.” She said. “They live on for so long… and then one day they die out. Everything ends. Even the night sky… won’t remain the same forever.”

Percy was quiet for long enough to confirm that Annabeth had, in fact, had an outburst even dumber than the one she was covering up. It was only a matter of time before Percy figured she was being unreasonable or a silly girl or too simple- and upped and left. Everything ended, she’d said so herself.

“I think eternity is… too long.” Percy told her quietly.

“What?”

“Permanence. Forever. It’s… overrated.”

Again, Percy had done what her family had failed to.

“What do you mean?”

Percy took a deep breath and a sip of his cola before meeting her eye. His expression was intense, serious. His green eyes looked beautiful and black against the whites of his eye, and reflected off the starlight. In the night, he was a young god, the son of the sea, a boy who’d slayed the Minotaur with his bare hands. He was Perseus Jackson, savior of Olympus, and Annabeth was suddenly reminded of how powerful he really was.

“Things can always get better.” He said. “You don’t have to stay still to be worthy of something. You don’t have to live forever.”

His fingers curled softly, lacing themselves through hers and he shifted a little bit closer to Annabeth.

“That’s what I was thinking about.” He admitted. “When Zeus…” He didn’t finish that sentence. “Life is precious because it ends. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be immortal.”

“That makes no sense, Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth told him. He let out a quiet laugh. Tears stung at her eyes and she inched towards him.

“Okay. Let me phrase it in a way you’ll understand, Architect of Olympus.” He said. “I read once that the Taj Mahal was built by this Indian emperor. He was really successful, brought a lot of victory and glory to his kingdom. Even today, he’s one of the greatest emperors of his dynasty.”

Annabeth couldn’t stop watching him speak. Percy was a natural born story teller. He spoke so that everyone would listen. She watched his lips move in awed silence. He continued,

“He was a great military leader, but what he was _really_ known for was his love for architecture and art. He commissioned the Taj Mahal for his wife. He loved her so fiercely, he wanted a unique, beautiful building to be built in her honour. Unfortunately, she died before it was completed. You know what he did?”

  
Annabeth shook her head.

“He turned it into a mausoleum for her. When he died, they buried him in there beside her.”

Annabeth didn’t speak. She didn’t know what to say.

“Look around you.” Percy said. “The Emperor who commissioned it is still dead. His wife is dead. The people who designed it and built it… all dead.” He paused. “But the Taj Mahal stands tall today. Undisturbed. Powerful. Beautiful. But it’s not just all of that because it’s a building. It’s because it’s far more. It’s an act of love.”

Percy turned around so he was facing her and took both her hands in his. Annabeth felt a huge lump in her throat. She swallowed hard and tried to blink back tears.

“What we do in our lifetimes is… nothing, really. In the grand scheme of things.” Percy told her. The sea behind him was calm, soothing- Annabeth knew that was a direct reflection of Percy’s own emotions. He felt at peace. He sounded confident. “But there’s a different kind of eternity. One that lasts for centuries and inspires generation after generation. One that I think makes life, with all the confusion and heartbreak and doubt, worth it.”

“ _Percy_.” Annabeth sobbed. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed him without thinking. He was expecting it, too, because it took him no time at all to snake his arm around her to keep her steady and kiss her back.

  
She didn’t know how long they sat there but when she finally pulled away she was breathless.

“Cool picnic, huh?” Percy asked with a small smile. He scratched the back of his head like he did when he was embarrassed. Annabeth let out a watery sob.

“You’re such a sop.” She complained. “You should have warned me. I needed to prepare for this!”

“Yeah, and miss catching you ugly cry? Not a chance.” Percy smiled, reaching over with a napkin and wiping her nose. “Oh look. A booger.”

“Shut _up_ , Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth said. She’d always thought she’d the one more vocal about of her emotions, better at taking the lead in their relationship- she had been the one to kiss him last year, after all. Unfortunately, even she had to admit now- if this was a competition of who could leave the other more speechless- Percy was winning. By a long shot.

“Come here and make me.” Percy teased.

Of course Annabeth did. She kissed him softly, gently, lazily. She kissed him for all she was worth and she kissed him for all the times he’d reminded her that she was loved. She kissed him and let the love from her soul take the lead. She wasn’t building him monuments to last forever, but as far as acts of love go, she thought she was off to a pretty good start.

She pulled away, finally, and leaned her forehead against his.

“I love you.” She told him. She didn’t care if it was too fast. She loved him. She’d rather he knew than die, like the emperor’s wife, before she could tell him.

“I love you too.” Percy laughed against her lips. Of course he did. She didn’t doubt it for a second. He pressed another soft kiss against her. “People might think we’re moving a little fast.”

“We should.” Annabeth said. She sniffed again. “We only have this lifetime.”

**Author's Note:**

> guys omg i'm reading ur reviews and i want to respond but u all make me so emotional wtfffff?? also this one-shot life has really given me so much freedom like i think it's rly working out for me lmao i can post whatever i feel like so i end up doing it so often i'm sorry if im annoying luv u long time byeeeeee xxx annie


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